# 119-hr-1728: Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act 119-hr-1728, Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2] (D-CO); status introduced (as of 2026-04-21). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1728 - As of: 2026-04-21 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-1728 - Congress: 119 - Title: Colorado Outdoor Recreation and Economy Act - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2025-02-27 - Sponsor: Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2] (D-CO) - Cosponsors: 3 - Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources - Touches household money: no - Last recorded action: 2026-04-21 ## Summary **Protect and expand Colorado's public lands and key wildlife corridors.** The bill would add multiple wilderness and conservation areas across the White River and San Juan ranges and set up a credits system to retire certain Thompson Divide oil and gas leases. ## Cosponsors (3) - Rep. Pettersen, Brittany [D-CO-7] (D-CO), 2025-02-27T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1] (D-CO), 2025-02-27T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Crow, Jason [D-CO-6] (D-CO), 2025-02-27T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Existing grazing could continue: benefit, low. If enacted, livestock grazing that was in place before the bill passes could continue on the covered lands. Grazing would follow wilderness law guidelines and reasonable rules set by the Secretary. This would help current permittees keep operating. - Create Curecanti National Recreation Area: benefit, low. If enacted, the Curecanti National Recreation Area would cover about 50,300 acres. It would start on the earlier of a set approval by the Secretary or 1 year after enactment. The Park Service could buy land from willing sellers, accept donations, transfer land from other agencies, or exchange land.… - Official maps for protected areas: benefit, low. If enacted, the Secretary would file official maps and legal descriptions for each area and make them public. These maps would carry the same legal weight as the bill text, with typo fixes allowed. The Secretary could make small boundary changes for the Porcupine Gulch and Williams Fork Wildlife ar… - Wider mining and leasing limits on lands: cost, low. If enacted, lands designated in this bill, plus about 6,590 acres at the Naturita Canyon area, would be withdrawn from mining claims, mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing, subject to valid existing rights. This would limit future mineral development in those areas. - Grazing and new rules in Williams Fork: mixed, medium. If enacted, about 8,036 acres would start as "potential wilderness" in the Williams Fork Mountains. Final wilderness status would begin no earlier than 180 days after enactment and then on the earliest of three events set in the bill. If the Secretary allows grazing, limited motorized gear could be… - Thompson Divide: limits, credits, methane pilot: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Thompson Divide area would be withdrawn from new mining claims, mineral leasing, and geothermal leasing, subject to valid rights. Leaseholders who give up all Thompson Divide leases could get credits equal to bonus bids paid, rentals paid as of the notice date, and certain permit pr… - Buy or swap land for parks: mixed, low. If enacted, the Secretary could accept donations, buy from willing sellers, or swap land inside the new protected areas. Any land brought in would be managed as part of the area. This could help connect habitat and improve recreation access without forced sales. - New areas in White River Forest: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would add wilderness in several places: about 6,896 acres at Ptarmigan Peak, 3,866 at Holy Cross, 5,235 at Hoosier Ridge, 7,624 at Tenmile, and 7,634 at Eagles Nest. It would set aside about 8,287 acres at Porcupine Gulch as a Wildlife Conservation Area with limits on new roads… - Rules for Sheep Mountain and Liberty Bell: mixed, low. If enacted, about 21,663 acres would be the Sheep Mountain Special Management Area, and about 792 acres would be the Liberty Bell East area. Existing permitted uses, like a long‑running race and certain helicopter access, could continue under conditions. Permanent roads would be banned, and most mo… - Small boundary changes to lands: mixed, low. If enacted, about 15.5 acres would be removed from the potential wilderness in Rocky Mountain National Park. About 120 acres in Summit County would be added to the White River National Forest, with Land and Water Conservation Fund rules applying as if in place since 1965. - Some study lands lose extra limits: mixed, low. If enacted, parts of the Dominguez Canyon and McKenna Peak study areas not made wilderness would no longer follow the special study‑area limits. Those lands would be managed under this bill and other laws. This could allow more uses than before. - What these designations would not change: mixed, low. If enacted, the Secretary could act in wilderness to manage fire, insects, and disease. Military training and low‑level flights could continue, and new special‑use airspace could be set. No buffer zones would be created just because activities can be seen or heard from inside protected areas. Color… ## Related bills - 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025 - 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act - 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act - 119-hr-9070: OPEN Act - 119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025 - 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026 ## Sources - [119-hr-1728 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/1728) ## Related - [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151) - [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973) - [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977) - [119-hr-9070: OPEN Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9070) - [119-hr-2725: Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2725) - [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1728 (as of 2026-04-21).